Interview of NKR Foreign and Security Policy Council Chairman Masis Mayilyan to NEWS.am…

Mr. Mayilyan, what is your opinion on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement that if tomorrow’s meeting with RA President Serzh Sargsyan in Munich yields no result, Azerbaijan will break off the talks and prefer military showdown.

The attempt of Azerbaijani President to exert pressure on Armenian side and blackmail international mediators is evident. Such line of conduct by Azeris can be induced by the fact that impending meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents in Munich will be the first after the Protocols’ signing in Zurich. The tendency itself to Yerevan-Ankara normalization apart from NKR peace process triggers serious concerns in Baku that entails this kind of statements.

Don’t you think such statements depreciate the Presidents’ Munich meeting?

Armenia should keep on participating in the talks to achieve the restoration of full-fledged trilateral format, as well as the elaboration and adoption of realistic principles on the conflict resolution. If Azerbaijani authorities dislike the consultations’ results, Azerbaijan should walk out of the process and claim the responsibility for the consequences of the made decision.

What expectations do you have from Aliyev-Sargsyan tomorrow’s meeting?

I don’t have particular expectations, however I reckon it is always good to exchange views on different levels. It’s better to do it with the participation of conflicting parties, meanwhile showing good will.